USA Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis bemoaned the ‘missed opportunity’ of not giving the Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup equal marketing and promoting both contests together.
Both biennial contests will be played on consecutive weeks for the first time. Although the scheduling was not planned rather it arose from the COVID-19 pandemic postponing the 2020 Ryder Cup, Lewis revealed her pleas to have equal promotion of both competitions fell on deaf ears.
Asked if the approach from both governing bodies could have been better Lewis claimed: “1,000%, yes. I thought this could have been marketed together as two weeks in Europe, two cups for play. I think it was a missed opportunity for the sport of golf.
“I wish that people could get the sponsorship things out of their head and figure out how we can work together because this may not ever happen again, the two cups being in the same year.
“So I thought it was a massive missed opportunity. We tried to do a little bit with the guys and just weren’t really able to move things along the way I would have liked. I just would like to see it for the good of the game. It’s not to further women’s golf, let’s further the game of golf in general.”
Lewis who will lead the USA in next year’s Solheim Cup on home soil admitted she spent more time than she should have attempting to strike a deal with the LPGA/LET and DP World/PGA Tour in terms of marketing both events correctly.
“I tried,” said Lewis. “I tried really hard, actually. I probably spent more time on it than I should have. But whether it was timing or it was too late in the process, I don’t know. To really market it correctly, this probably had to happen two years ago. So it’s something that, going forward, I think the game of golf needs to get on the same page and do better with.”
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